January 12, 2008 - Taboka the first product in PM's adjacency growth strategy had has poor sales and will be discontinued, Marlboro SNUS introduced in August, 2007 now available in about 4,000 stores in the Dallas area has not been widely accepted and now there are problems with Marlboro Moist Smokeless Tobacco (MST) that was introduced into the Atlanta test market in October 2007.(TobaccoWatch.org) On January 10, 2008, Davenport & Company, a Virginia investment firm, released a research report analyzing the recent test launch of Altria's (NYSE: MO) MST. The price for a can of Marlboro Moist Smokeless Tobacco was initially set at $3, a dollar cheaper than either of UST's popular brands -- Copenhagen and Skoal (each worth more than $1 billion at retail - TW) -- which are consistently priced at $4 per can in the area. As Davenport's checks went around to different convenience stores in the Atlanta test market, they surprisingly discovered that many stores had to lower their prices on cans of the Marlboro brand to $1.50. The retailers said they had to cut the price on the Marlboro brand as the product was either already old or just about to be, and needed to be sold or thrown away. Almost every retailer (Wal-Mart was the exception) that was testing the Marlboro product said they saw noticeably slow sales, despite the smokeless tobacco product being brand new. Most retailers also noted a strong brand loyalty for UST's products: clerks would specifically ask customers buying smokeless tobacco products if they would try the new Marlboro brand for a cheaper price, but the majority of the consumers would respond 'no' and ask again for their favorite brand. Going on, retailers noted to Davenport's checks that they had seen little or no return buyers out of the consumers who did try the Marlboro Moist Smokeless Tobacco. In fact, one store said it had not sold a single can of the Marlboro product for two weeks, at a time when UST brand sales remained solid. Initially, consumers seemed some-what interested in the Marlboro product and would at least ask questions about it, but as the trial period went on, fewer and fewer buyers of tobacco would inquire about the new Marlboro product. ( Altria's (MO) New Product Not Up to Snuff, StreetInsider.com, January 11, 2008 11:55 AM EST) Related Marlboro MST news briefs: January 4, 2008 and August 21, 2007. There has been speculation that PM might acquire a smokeless company to gain a foothold in the category.Read more...

January 11, 2008 - Philip Morris USA (PM)To Also Test Marlboro Snus In Indianapolis.. Altria Group Inc.'s (MO) Philip Morris USA said it will be introducing Marlboro Snus into an additional test market in the Indianapolis area. The cigarette maker said Marlboro Snus is a tobacco pouch product designed for adult smokers who are interested in smokeless tobacco alternatives to cigarettes. The company said it is "pleased" with the initial reaction by adult consumers, wholesalers and retailers to Marlboro Snus in the Dallas/Fort Worth test market. Marlboro Snus will be available in the Indianapolis area in March, 2008. At present, Taboka Tobaccopaks, the original PM Snus pouch product is being test marketed in Indianapolis with little success. It has been reported that PM will discontinue its Indianapolis test market of Taboka, which it introduced in July 2006. ( "Philip Morris Revises Smokeless Tobacco Market Tests" by JOHN REID BLACKWELL/Richmond Times-Dispatch Jan 11, 2008) See related news brief: Altria - NOT in Any Hurry to Expand Marlboro SNUS Distribution..Click on image to enlarge..

January 11, 2008 - Florida lawyers rushed to beat this week's deadline to file individual claims after the Florida Supreme Court in July 2006 overturned a $145 billion punitive-damage verdict, the biggest in history, saying plaintiffs couldn't proceed as a group. The court upheld jury findings that the companies were negligent and sold defective products, which will apply in the individual cases. Plaintiffs' lawyers said the total number of claims filed against the industry may reach 10,000. Philip Morris, the biggest U.S. cigarette maker, faces new Florida suits filed on behalf of about 1,700 dead and injured smokers so far, said spokesman John Sorrells. Reynolds American Inc.'s R.J. Reynolds unit has received claims from about 1,650 plaintiffs, spokesman David Howard said. There is some overlap in the companies' tallies because plaintiffs who smoked more than one brand may name several manufacturers as defendants. Plaintiffs' lawyers are hoping that Florida trial courts interpret the ruling to mean they must do little more than prove the amount of their clients' damages. (Bob Van Voris Bloomberg.com, 1/10/2008) This action may cause foreign tobacco companies to think twice about entering the lucrative U.S. tobacco market.Click on image to enlarge..

January 9, 2008 - The research involving 20,000 people for over a decade was carried out by the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council in the English county of Norfolk between 1993 and 2006. The study found that exercising , not drinking too much alcohol, eating enough fruit and vegetables and not smoking (most likely all tobacco products - TW) can add up to 14 years to your life, a study says. "This is good news and shows that by living a healthy life, people can reduce their risk of dying from heart and circulatory disease," said Judy O'Sullivan of the British Heart Foundation. those who failed on all criteria were four times more likely to have died than those who succeeded. You are in charge of your own health - work at it..Exercise has also been shown to reduce common nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the desire to smoke.Read more...

January 9, 2008 - A team of scientists and physicians affiliated with the Life Sciences Research Office (LSRO) in Maryland, USA, has reviewed and identified preclinical and clinical methods that can be used to examine the biological effects of potential reduced-risk tobacco products. Their findings, conclusions and recommendations are presented in the most recent LSRO report, titled Biological Effects Assessment in the Evaluation of Potential Reduced-Risk Tobacco Products. The report was produced under a contract between Philip Morris USA and the LSRO, but the findings, conclusions and recommendations were developed independently of Philip Morris and represent the views of the LSRO alone. Tobacco is deadly in any form or disguise..(theme of the World Health Organization, WHO, World No Tobacco Day)Read more...

January 8, 2008 - Scottish cancer specialist (Dr. Jayant Vaidya) is calling for the age at which people can buy tobacco be raised to 21. Dr Vaidya told the BBC Scotland news website: "Most people start smoking before they are 21, and after they are 21 they are wise enough to realise that it's not in their interest to use tobacco products." Dr Vaidya said that in Goa in India, where he was born, raising the smoking age to 21 has led to a considerable drop in the number of tobacco-related diseases. "Children, before they are proper grown-ups at 21, have the right to be protected from the onslaught of the tobacco industry," he said. As of October 1, 2007 the legal minimum age at which tobacco can be bought in England, Scotland and Wales went from 16 to 18. The BBC's Healthy Britain survey questioned more than one thousand people. More than half (55%) of those polled supported raising the legal age from 16 to 21. Why these baby steps when it comes to tobacco control why wasn't the age raised to 21?? - let's talk tobacco elimination when it comes to kids - our future leaders. It is estimated that at least 4.5 million U.S. adolescents are cigarette smokers and approximately 90 percent of smokers begin smoking before the age of 21. (" The Cigarette Smoking Tragedy" by Dr. Jenny Tylee, Ezine Articles) Click on image to enlarge..Read more...

January 7, 2008 - Sweden where SNUS originated grimy/scuzzy used snus packets litter the otherwise clean streets and subway stations of Stockholm. Besides the effect on the environment these used discarded bags after being in the snuser's mouth for at least 15 minutes will enhance the transmission of contagious diseases. See related news :July 15, 2007 and March 10, 2007. Read more...

January 6, 2008 - Wegman's owns more than 70 stores in five states, most of them in western New York. The Wegman family says it still respects a person's right to smoke. And even though the company says cigarettes are very profitable, sales have been declining. Wegmans moved cigarettes from the checkout to behind the service counter years ago. A brief letter to employees from Danny and Coleen Wegman spelled out their decision. "We believe in a person's right to smoke. But we believe there are few of us who would introduce our children to smoking." Wegmans is also about helping consumers live healthier life.Read more...